Title:Selective Modifications of Steroids Performed by Oxidative Enzymes
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 21
Author(s):Alina Swizdor, Teresa Kolek, Anna Panek and Natalia Milecka
Affiliation:Department of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 25, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Keywords:Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation, Biotransformation of Steroids, Dehydrogenation, Microbial Transformation, Stereoselective Hydroxylation,
Sterol Side-Chain Cleavage
Abstract:Research on steroid biooxidation is being pursued for development of processes exploitable by the pharmaceutical industry,
and also for the purpose of preparation of potentially useful steroid analogues which are otherwise inaccessible. The use of enzymes provides
high regio- and stereoselectivity of the reaction to be performed. In this work a review of recent and important findings related to
microbial and enzymatic biotransformations of steroidal compounds including hydroxylation, Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, dehydrogenation
and sterol side-chain cleavage is presented, with emphasis on processes of practical biotechnological importance. Although some of
these bioconversions are well-established, efforts are ongoing in order to increase their efficiency as well as to discover novel steroidal
compounds and acquire recombinant microorganisms capable of performing desired steroid biotransformations.
